Rohit Sharma, Rahane are in the race too

He has the talent and technique but lacks in fitness and consistency and is yet to play long innings consistently in the longer format after the 2008-09 Ranji season. The 24-year-old Rohit has a very good ODI record with 1889 runs from 77 matches at an average of 33.14 but is yet to test his temperament at the Test level.

Another Mumbai batsman Rahane has shown that he can bat for long hours and grind for runs. He has scored heavily for Mumbai at number three and four in Ranji Trophy in the last few years.

The 23-year-old right-handed batsman has continued to churn out the runs in domestic cricket, hitting three hundreds each in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons of the Ranji Trophy.

Two centuries in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia brought him a place in the India ODI squad for the tour of England in 2011 but he is yet to make his Test debut.

Pujara is also known for his solid techniques

Another claimant to the pivotal No. 3 Test spot is 24-year-old Saurashtra batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, known for his solid techniques.

His technique is tailor-made for Test cricket. It may be too early to draw comparison with The Wall, but looking at his first class batting record, one gets the feeling that Pujara is the rightly being called the next Dravid.

Scoring tons of runs in first class cricket at an average of 53.50 over the years, Pujara made the opportunity count by scoring an excellent 72 in a tricky fourth-innings run-chase in 2010 Bangalore Test against Australia. In the process, he became only the fifth Indian to score 50 or more in the fourth innings on debut.

Pujara was sent up the order at No. 3 in place of Dravid in a tactical change by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni which turned out to be a masterstroke as India went on to win the Test by seven wickets.In the three Tests he has played so far, Pujara scored 107 runs at an average of 21.40.

Pujara, who is out of the game since 2011 IPL due to a knee injury, keeps his game simple and plays within his limitations. His technique is in classical mould -- upright at the crease and play with a midas touch on both sides of the field.